Method and means for casting syphon-jet type toilet bowls



Aug; 12, 1969 F. c. ALEXANDER METHOD AND MEANS FOR CASTING SYPHON-JET TYPE TOILET BOWLS- Filed April 17. 1967 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VEN 702 fired C. Okrander g g- 1969 F. c. ALEXANDER 3,461,194

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METHOD AND MEANS FOR CASTING SYPHON'JET TYPE TOILET BOWLS Filed April 17, 1967 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 United States Patent 3,461,194 METHOD AND MEANS FOR CASTING SYPHON- JET TYPE TOILET BOWLS Fred C. Alexander, New Castle, Pa., assignor to Universal Rundle Corporation, New Castle, Pa., a corporation of Delaware Filed Apr. 17, 1967, Ser. No. 631,279 Int. Cl. B2811 1/26; 82% 1/12; 1822c 9/22 US. Cl. 264-86 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A method and mold for casting syphon-jet type toilet bowls wherein the bowl is cast complete, including flushing ring, in a single operation without any of the usual stick-ups, characterized by the use of small separate core pieces disposed adjacent to the cast ring and carrying flexible tenuous elements which form the usual discharge passages in the cast ring.

My invention relates to the casting of toilet bowls, and may be considered another solution of the problem solved in the patent to Schindler et al. No. 3,218,376 granted Nov. 16, 1965.

Background of the invention In the manufacture of toilet bowls by casting slip, as practiced for many years, it has usually been considered necessary to cast the bowl in a plurality of pieces and these parts, while still in a damp state and before drying and firing, are assembled and stuck together to form an integral article of manufacture. This is a laborious and costly operation, depending on highly skilled hand labor. The major part of the bowl is frequently formed in a plurality of parts, viz, the bowl proper, the flushing ring and a plurality of plate-like pans. While the casting is moist the smaller elements are attached in a sticking on operation, the stick-ups becoming integrally united with the main casting and the assembly then being dried, fired and vitrified.

Aside from cost considerations, it is well recognized in the art that the larger the number of parts assembled to produce a toilet bowl, the greater the percentage of defective units which must be rejected, adding further to the cost of production. Furthermore, excessive space is required for molds as well as for the fabricated parts, and numerous other disadvantages are inherent in the aforesaid standard procedure.

A particular object of my invention is to produce a toilet bowl in a single one-piece casting operation, with out the use of any overcast or stuck-on parts. This includes the flushing ring. It is considered necessary to be thus explicit inasmuch as the patent art sometimes refers to casting a toilet bowl in one step when the flushing ring is not included but is a separate operation.

This objective has been a major desideratum in the industry for many years. However, among other problems facing the worker in this art, a major obstacle has been the problem of producing a flushing ring along with the rest of the bowl in a single operation, a problem made acute by the required orifices. This problem is effectively solved in a highly practical manner in Schindler et al. Patent No. 3,218,376.

The principal problem involved in casting a flushing ring integrally with the bowl is concerned with the discharge orifices. So far as I am aware, the art has not known an industrially practical process for accomplishing this purpose except the Schindler et al. patent noted above. If the flushing ring were cast integrally with the bowl proper without the discharge openings, it is im- 3,461,134 Patented Aug, 12, 1969 possible as a practical matter to punch those holes after the piece is cast because of the peculiar angling of the orifices toward the inside of the bowl.

Summary of the invention I have found it entirely practical and economically feasible according to my invention, to cast a bowl integrally with the flushing ring in a single operation, complete with the discharge orifices.

A major feature of my invention contemplates the use of a novel mold including a plurality of loose core pieces having embedded therein a plurality of flexible plastic inserts which are non-water-absorbent and define the discharge openings of the flushing ring. By the use of such inserts in conjunction with a mold as hereinafter described, I am enabled to produce a toilet bowl complete with a flushing ring having discharge orifices therein in a single casting operation.

Various other objects and advantages inherent in my invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art as the description proceeds.

Brief description of drawings Referring now to the drawings forming a part of this specification and illustrating a preferred embodiment of my invention,

FIG. 1 is a group perspective view of the elements of a mold employed in the casting of a toilet bowl in accordance with my invention;

FIG. 2 is a median vertical sectional view taken from front to rear, showing a completely assembled mold as seen in FIG. 1, with a cast toilet bowl disposed within the mold;

FIG. 3 is a hybrid view showing in plan the mold as seen from the top of FIG. 2, with a central part removed, and also showing in top plan the separable core pieces as assembled in the mold for the casting operation;

FIG. 4 is a transverse vertical sectional view of a fully assembled mold with the cast bowl disposed therein, taken substantially along the line 44 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4a is an exploded sectional view of the mold parts seen in FIG. 4, upside down, i.e., in reverse position from FIG. 4;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an assembled mold embodying my invention, in position for pouring;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the core mold removed from the main mold;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the main mold lying on its side and the foot core being removed therefrom;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the casting upside down, with one side of the shell mold placed in position on the main core mold;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the completed casting, right side up; and

FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken substantially along line 1010 of FIG. 2.

Detailed description Referring first to FIG. 1, the complete mold employed in accordance with my invention comprises a pair of allochiral shell molds 15a and 151), a foot mold 17, a main core mold 20 and a plurality of separate core pieces designated by the numerals 22a, 22b, 22c, 22d and 22:2. The mold, as is customary in this art, is preferably formed of a highly water-absorbent material such as plaster-Of-paris or any other suitable substance having similar characteristics.

The main core 20 is provided, as seen best in FIGS. 2 and 4a, with a substantially continuous horizontal shoulder 25 designed to support the core pieces 22a, etc. These core pieces have molded therein a plurality of flexible inserts 28 which may be formed of natural or synthetic rubber or any other suitable material having like characteristics, these inserts having an enlarged head portion molded within the core piece and a tenuous stem extending a substantial distance out of the core piece, as seen clearly in FIG. 2. The stem should be tapered so as to be of reducing diameter toward the free end of the stem to facilitate withdrawal from the moist and fragile clay, with a maximum diameter and length adequate to produce the discharge orifices to be formed in the flushing ring. Furthermore, the stem portion of the plastic inserts should be of sufficiently high flexibility so that, in the act of withdrawing the core pieces from the cast piece, as hereinafter described, there will be no likelihood of damaging the relatively fragile green piece.

It should be explained that my invention is here described as applied to a standard type of toilet bowl known as a Syphon-jet bowl, although my invention is not restricted thereto. In general, this type of toilet bowl, like the standard wash-down bowl disclosed in the aforementioned Schindler et al. patent, is extremely old in the art. Accordingly, it is not considered necessary to describe in detail the configuration of the various mold parts illustrated in the drawings except insofar as they directly concern my invention. Suflice it to say that the mold as a whole provides the necessary surfaces for deposition of clay from the slip to provide the usual passages normally found in a Syphon-jet bowl, in the disclosed embodiment, except that the main core mold and the shell molds are so formed as to define the necessary areas for the formation of a flushing ring 30 (FIG. 4).

Means are provided on shoulder 25 such as studs 26 or the like, and cooperating elements on the core pieces, for properly seating the loose core pieces, and the latter are preferably formed to seat positively in certain positions on the main core and relative to each other, the flexible elements 28 being angled peculiarly according to radial position on the core, in order that the discharge passages in the cast rim may be properly directed.

In the casting operation, in accordance with my invention, the mold is assembled and disposed in an upsidedown position, as seen in FIGS. 4a and 5, as compared with the standard pouring position. That is to say, the mold is so disposed that the bowl, when cast, will be in reverse of its normal position. Thus, the separable core pieces will rest on shoulder 25 of main core 20, in positions overlying cavity C wherein the flushing ring R is formed. (FIGS. 4 and 4a.)

After the slip has been poured and the excess liquid drained from the mold through aperture 33 (FIGS. 2 and 5) in the usual manner, the mold is allowed to stand for a period of about one-half to one hour, to allow the casting to set, as is well known to those skilled in this art. The entire mode is then reversed on the bench, being now positioned right-side-up, and the man core is then removed (FIG. 6), leaving the loose core pieces 2211 etc., in position within the mold.

In the next operation, reaching in from the open top of the mold (FIG. 6), the loose core pieces are carefully removed, sliding them gently downwardly from the flushing rim undercut until the tenuous portions of the flexible inserts have been completely removed from the discharge orifices and then completely removed from the assembly. As seen clearly in FIGS. 2 and 3, the inserts 28 are so directed that the orifices formed thereby Will direct jets of water downwardly and outwardly and spirally against the walls of the bowl. I find it desirable that the loose core pieces be removed in a certain sequence, as indicated by the numerals shown on the pieces in FIG. 3.

For most efficient plant operation, it is expedient in disassembling the mold to reassemble it in an adjacent position (FIG. 8).

Next, the trapway well hole is cut in the usual manner by removing clay disk 40. The water supply hole 42 is then punched out as well as the usual connection holes,

and drain hole 44 is sealed in the usual manner by plug 45. At this point the inside of the bowl is given the usual partial green-finish.

The mold and cast piece contained therein are placed on their side and the foot mold 17 removed, as seen in FIG. 7. The side shell molds 15a and 15b are then removed in the usual manner (FIG. 8), leaving the completed green piece B (FIGS. 8 and 9).

The final operations required to complete the piece are substantially as in the standard operation.

The piece when fired Weighs from 33 to 35 pounds, as compared with 45 to 47 pounds for a similar bowl of substantially identical capacity and performance made according to standard methods.

It will be noted that my invention requires only four major mold parts (not counting the small loose core pieces 22a, etc.) as compared with seven major mold elements as required in casting a similar bowl by standard methods, in addition to the molds required for minor stuck-on parts in the latter.

Comparing the steps of the operation, a bowl produced in accordance with my invention as described above involves only eighteen steps as compared with forty-three in the standard method of procedure.

The result is a tremendous saving in cost as well as the other important advantages outlined hereabove.

Various changes coming within the spirit of my invention may suggest themselves to those skilled in the art; hence, I do not wish to be limited to the specific embodiment shown and described or uses mentioned, but intend the same to be merely exemplary, the scope of my invention being limited only by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A method of producing a cast Syphon-jet type ceramic toilet bowl with integral flushing ring and requiring no additional stick-ups, comprising (a) setting up a main core mold upside down,

(b) disposing a series of separate core pieces on and around said main core, said pieces having outwardly projecting, spaced, flexible, non-water-absorbent tenuous members for forming discharge passages in the cast flushing ring,

(c) assembling on said main core and core pieces a shell mold and a foot mold, said mold parts being water absorbent and formed to include a flushing ring adjacent the core pieces,

(d) pouring slip into the mold,

(e) draining excess liquid after clay has deposited on the mold and allowing the casting to set,

(f) removing the main core and subsequently the core pieces from the mold and completing removal of the mold from the cast piece, including the flushing ring, and

(g) finishing, drying and firing the cast Syphon-jet type toilet bowl.

2. A method as in claim 1, wherein, after the setting period, the mold is reversed to a normal upright position before the core is pulled.

3. A mold for slip-casting a syphon-jet type toilet bowl requiring no addition stick-ups, comprising (a) a water-absorbent shell portion for forming the bottom and sides of the bowl to be cast,

(b) a water-absorbent main core portion for forming the inner and upper portion of the bowl including an integral flushing ring at the top thereof,

(c) a plurality of detachable rigid water-absorbent core pieces mounted around the main core in the assembled positions of the mold, with portions thereof adjacent to the portions of said main core adapted to form said integral flushing ring,

((1) means for securely seating said detachable core pieces onto said main core during the casting operation,

(e) a plurality of peripherally spaced, flexible, tenuous non-water absorbing members spaced from said last-mentioned means, for forming discharge passages in the cast flushing ring, said members being affixed to said core pieces and protruding therefrom,

(f) said seating means being so shaped as to permit the separation of said main core from the individual core pieces following the casting operation, and thereafter the successive withdrawal of the individual core pieces from the interior of the Syphon-jet type cast bowl and the attendant withdrawal of the flexible tenuous members from the openings formed thereby in the integral flushing ring, without damage to the cast bowl, the flushing ring or the openings formed therein.

4. A mold as set forth in claim 3, wherein said firstmentioned shell portion consists of a pair of allochiral side shells and a foot portion, and said flexible tenuous members on the detachable core pieces are spaced substantially uniformly around the bowl adapted to be cast.

5. A mold as set forth in claim 3, wherein said seating means comprises shoulder areas on said main core portion.

6. A mold as set forth in claim 3, wherein said means comprises a substantially continuous horizontal shoulder on said main core portion for said supporting core pieces in the inverted position of the mold during the slip-pouring operation.

7. A mold as set forth in claim 6, including cooperating projections and recesses in the main core and core pieces at said horizontal shoulder to detachably interlock the temporary engagement therebetween.

8. A mold as set forth in claim 6, including planar surfaces on said main core extending angularly from said horizontal shoulder for seating correspondingly extending planar surfaces on said core pieces.

9. A mold as set forth in claim 8, wherein said flexible tenuous members are angled peculiarly according to radial position on the core to form orifices directed downwardly and outwardly, whereby water jets will be directed spirally against the walls of the cast bowl.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,304,571 5/1919 Kirk et a1. 264-86 1,682,691 8/1928 Temple 249183 3,218,376 11/1965 Schindler et al. 26486 3,278,151 10/1966 Schindler et a1. 24958 JULIUS FROME, Primary Examiner JOHN H. MILLER, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 24958, 183 

